What Advent is All About

November 28th, 2012

Westminster Towers Wednesday Ecumenical Service

Luke 21: 25-36

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Sounds so ominous, doesn’t it- signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; people dying of fright; the powers of heaven shaken; and the son of man coming in a cloud with power and glory.  And so much has been written about these events as described by Jesus as well.  People try to predict when and where all this will all happen.  They try to piece a story together from this and other cryptic sounding scriptures, especially the books of Revelation and Daniel.  These scriptures have vivid imagery and bold predictions.  They are called apocalyptic scriptures.  They are written in codes; and they can be interpreted in many ways.  These interpretations are fascinating, and have led to many movies and books and all kinds of fiction.

Personally, I feel they are distracting.  They distract from the messages that the scriptures hold for you and I right now.  Because realistically, whether any of these writers on the end times is right or not, the chances that you and I will live to see all of it play out according to these predictions are slim to none.  Oh, if the book or movie is vivid enough, we might die of fright all right, especially the older and frailer we get.  But that’s not the point of the scripture for you and me.  So let’s put all of the grand predictions to the side, and see how this scripture speaks to us today.

First, let’s look at the context.  One element of context is why this reading is appropriate now.  Well, this is the Gospel Reading for this coming Sunday according to most of the Church Lectionaries.  That means that all Catholics, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists, and a whole host of others, are all hearing the same Gospel this weekend!  By the way, I don’t know whether the Baptists are hearing it, but they do like to talk about this scripture, I know that.

So why is this the scripture for Sunday?  Well, besides the fact that there was an attempt to make the readings common between all these denominations, the basic reason is that we came to the end of the Church year last week, and beginning with this Sunday, we begin a new Church year with a season called Advent.  Advent is where we prepare for the coming of Christ.  And there are two comings of Christ- the nativity, or Christmas, and the second coming of Christ.

Advent gives us six weeks to prepare for these comings.  It’s a ritual type preparation, isn’t it?  We play out rituals every year in remembrance.  We do Christmas cards, set up bright lights and Christmas Trees, dress up with lots of green and red, bake cookies and other treats; make eggnog (and I hope yours is spiked like mine is!); and talk about a chubby old bearded man with a jolly smile called Santa Claus.  There are things we do every year; they are a ritual.  All of that is fine; but it can be a distraction from the real event we are called to prepare for in the ritual- the birth of Jesus; the coming of God made man into the world, the fulfillment of the Covenant between God and Man, to send us a Messiah who would redeem us and guarantee us a chance at eternal life.

Now this Sunday, our emphasis is not on this first ritual preparation; rather, it is on the second one- the second coming of Christ.  And that is really what I want to discuss because I’m not sure that we go through a ritual periodically to grasp the full meaning of the second coming of Christ.  But we really should.  So, are you ready for that?  And does this scripture really give us any insight into it?  Can this Gospel help us to reflect on things, and prepare for the second coming?

Now some of the Gospel words don’t seem to fit this crowd here.  As I look out at you good seasoned God fearing folks, I am confident that few of your hearts are becoming drowsy from carousing and drunkenness.  If any of you are, I’m sure that the word has spread like wildfire.  And that brings me to an interesting twist.  What if we change the words in the Gospel just a little bit?  For example, could any of us have our hearts become drowsy from gossip and from preoccupation with our next meal?  You see, Jesus is trying to wake us up to our mortality, and if we are preoccupied with our daily ritual- the anxieties of daily life, the latest take on what’s really going on behind the scenes; what so and so did; and what is on the cafeteria menu, then our hearts may miss another kind of ritual, a ritual whereby we examine our lives periodically and find out what really prepares us for Christ and His Kingdom.

Now in John’s Gospel, Chapter 18, verse 37, during Jesus’ trial before Pilate, Jesus says:  “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”  Well, the truth then is what Christ bore witness to during His life; the truth is the Gospel and what our Churches teach about Jesus.  The Gospel describes a life in which Jesus did the will of the Father, sacrificing His wants and needs for what God wanted of Him.  The Father wanted Jesus to tell us about Faith in God; keeping the commandments; and bearing our own crosses.  The Father wanted Jesus to show us that finding and doing His will was
the essence of living a life pleasing to God.  Once in a while we need to reflect on those things, and make a correction accordingly in our lives.  We need to make those reflections a ritual; one that we do more at least once a year during Advent.

Why?  So that when we die our focus is in the right place.  Jesus also talks about the coming of the kingdom of God.  It is a Kingdom not of this world, where there will be eternal happiness, real happiness- not the happiness that a comfortable life in this world or total immersion into our daily lives brings- that is a happiness that passes away in a flash either because of age or sickness or circumstances.  Rather, the Kingdom of God brings a happiness in which we share in the Glory of God.  But we could miss our chance.  Because we have to recognize the second coming of Christ when we die and be prepared and ready for it.

At the end of today’s reading Jesus says  “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man”.  Yes, we need the strength to stand before Jesus when we are summoned.  We need to be confident, yet humble, that we belong to the truth and have listened to His voice.  That doesn’t mean that we have to have been perfect.  None of us has been perfect in the sight of God.  We are all human; we are all sinners.  But our focus needs to be on God and things of God.  We need to stand before Jesus and say “I see that my life on earth is over; I have listened to your word; I tried to focus my life on what you wanted me to do; I know I am not perfect, I am sorry about that; Please forgive me because I want to be in your Kingdom.”

I believe that Jesus is trying to tell us that some, those who are not vigilant, and those have been so preoccupied during their lives with themselves and their own lives; will be so frightened by Jesus’ second coming and so out of focus on God that they will cower from the experience and literally panic and walk away and “die”.  And it will be the kind of death described at the beginning of the Gospel reading.  Because when we leave this world, all of the signs described in the reading will come true for us.  The sun and the moon and the stars will all be in dismay.  Indeed, unless we are prepared for it, we will be perplexed, out of focus, afraid, and what is even more sad, we may not even recognize the goodness, happiness, and glory that the Kingdom of God offers.

Well, what exactly should we reflect on then?  I think the parable about the fig tree helps.  We can recognize all the signs of the season in a tree.  Advent, like the growing cycle of a tree is a yearly event that comes at a fixed time.  The dying back in the Fall, and dormancy of the Winter describe a process that is akin to the unfolding of life for us.  In fact, almost every experience in life is like the cycle of a tree.  We get charged up about something- school, our first love, a career, our spouse; whatever.  We grow into that interest or relationship and bear some fruit.  But there comes a time when most of these experiences end, kind of like what the tree experiences during the Fall, and then we come to a point in our lives when we realize   That we are all dying.  But like the fig tree, we have a chance to be reborn into another existence, a new life in the Kingdom of God.  In fact, in Jesus own words he tells us in Matthew 6:33:  “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.”  Yes, we have to seek it; we have to reflect on where we have been, and resolve to sharpen our focus on God.

Now as foreboding as the warning in today’s Gospel sounds, it is really a message of hope for all of us.  You see, when we take all of this in the context of the Church Year, and the fact that preparing for Christ’s second coming is a ritual we all need to do at this time every year; and we recognize that no matter what we have done, God loves us and forgives us if we ask him to; then this is a message of hope.  Like the fig tree, we have a chance to sharpen our focus or even refocus our lives each year as we enter the season of Advent.  We can do it more often if we want, and we should, but we should really do it now as part of Advent.

We can, and should relax as well, because the events described today are probably not coming immediately.  We have the time; we just need to use it wisely.

We have a choice.  We can forget about this Gospel and go on with the anxieties of daily life.  Or we can reflect on the endless cycles that were springs and summers and falls and winters in our lives, the best of times and the worst of times; learn from them; and prayerfully look for God’s path going forward- a path that makes us ready for the coming of Christ, whether it be a rebirth, or second chance in this world, as heralded by the Christ Child. or the rebirth that is coming in the next world- the kingdom of God.

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Facing the Truth- the Last Judgment

November 25th, 2012

Christ The King

Dan 7: 13-14; Rev 1: 5-8; John 18: 33b-37

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Do you belong to the truth?  Because Jesus says this morning that the reason he was born into the world was to bear witness to the truth, and that those who belong to the truth listen to His voice.

The people of this world are pre-occupied with power, not truth.  And so, Jesus’ own people did not accept Him.  They were looking for a leader, a King who would liberate them from the Romans, and make their lives easier.  They didn’t like the taxes; and they didn’t like being under pagan control.  They weren’t looking for a message of truth; they were looking for power and comfort.

Now because of His triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, the Romans were afraid Jesus would somehow work one of His miracles and fulfill the Messianic role in the way the people wanted: that Jesus would establish himself as King.  And so, we have the drama of this morning’s Gospel; a cat and mouse game where Pilate tries to get Jesus to say that He is a king so He has an excuse to execute Him.  But even to the very last, as He is standing before Pilate, Jesus emphasis is on His mission to bear witness to the truth, not to defend Himself or His life.

The dialog goes on beyond this morning’s Gospel, as Pilate asks the question:  “What is truth”?  Ah yes, what is truth.  The truth is what Jesus came to bear witness to!  So the truth is the Gospel, and the teachings of the Church.  The truth is not might makes right; and it is not what money buys; the truth is not taxes or a guaranteed life of comfort; it is not having control of the situation; truth is not relative; the truth is not a whole list of excuses for why we couldn’t or didn’t do something.  And the truth is not usually having our way.  Rather, the truth is what Christ bore witness to during His life; a life in which Jesus did the will of the Father, sacrificing His wants and needs for what God wanted of Him.

And what was that?  The Father wanted Jesus to tell us about Faith in God; keeping the commandments; and bearing our own crosses.  The Father wanted Jesus to show us that finding and doing His will was the essence of living a life pleasing to God.  Then, Jesus talked about a Kingdom not of this world where there would be eternal happiness, real happiness- not the happiness that power and money and the world bring, a happiness that passes away in a flash either because of age or sickness or circumstances.  Rather, it is a happiness in which we share in the Glory of God.

We hear about such glory in the first two readings.  We can share in that glory if we show by the lives that we lead that we are also witnesses for Christ, living a life worthy of our roles as sons and daughters of God.  In that way, we can assure that we will be part of the Kingdom.

Today is the end of the Church Year.  The second coming of Christ and the final judgment are the main themes in the first two readings.  The imagery is strong-  One like the Son of Man, a title that Jesus uses to describe himself, will come amongst the clouds.  People will be judged- separated into the sheep and the goats, and everything except the heavenly Kingdom will pass away.

That happens to each of us, doesn’t it, when we die.  Everything that we know of on earth passes away and we will be judged by Christ the King.  It’s a somber theme, and a sobering thought.  But it will happen to each of us.  Christ will be looking for the truth and we will not be able to hide from it.  What did we do for the least of our brethren?  Did we stand up for Christ when the going got rough?  Or did we run away, do what was convenient, do what was comfortable for each of us.

Now we are all very fortunate because today has come, and will soon be gone, and the end that Jesus warns us about this morning will not have come for almost all of us.  We are fortunate, because we have more time.  That is what Advent is all about- the next six weeks.  And while most of us will focus on the coming of the Baby Jesus. the second coming of Christ is heralded in Advent as well.  So let’s all take some time to reflect on the second coming.  What are the priorities in your life?  Are you ready if God takes you today?  Do you belong to the truth, and listen to the Word?

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Accepting Changes in Status

November 15th, 2012

Thursday of the 32nd  Week in Ordinary Time

Phil 7-20: Luke 17: 20-25

By Deacon Larry Brockman

It can be very difficult; yes, very difficult indeed for us to accept changes in someone’s status, especially if it turns the social order upside down.  But that’s what happened in the story of Philemon.

 

You see, Onesimus was a slave in the Philemon household.  Then he escaped; and after that he somehow became a companion to Paul.  Converted, and now accepted by Paul as a brother in Christ, Onesimus was sent back to Philemon’s household, and Paul is sending this letter along with him as a sort of credential.  Paul is asking Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother.

 

Now, as you can just imagine, that is asking a whole lot.  An escaped slave would be considered a significant “property” loss.  So anger, resentment, gall, thoughts of reprisal- all these things probably came to Philemon’s mind; and probably pressure from Philemon’s wife Apphia as well!  After all, it would have been Apphia who lost the actual help.

 

Now even though Paul has some standing in the community as a founder of the Church there, standing which gives him the right to “order” rather than “ask” this favor; Paul is not ordering but asking- asking for Onesimus to be accepted as a brother out of love.  Paul is asking for a huge adjustment from Philemon out of the goodness of his heart.  And that would be difficult, very difficult.  Because he is being challenged to let go of his biases and feelings and personal interests, and to accept everyone, even this renegade, as a brother in Christ without strings.

 

All of us are challenged to do the same, accept our neighbors with respect and love, even when status changes between us, and in some cases, the pecking order even flips.   But this kind of challenge happens all the time doesn’t it?  Someone else gets the promotion at work, maybe someone who worked for you;  someone else is chosen as head of the ladies group- maybe even the person you introduced;  someone else is chosen as the team captain at school; or even someone you knew from the past who all of a sudden is in a position of authority over you.

 

And why is it so important to accept them as a brother in Christ?  Because stature in this world is not where our ultimate happiness or stature lies.  That is one of the main points of the Gospel.  The Kingdom of God just is- it is among us.  And whatever the order of things, we are called to love our neighbor.  All will eventually be made known to us.  But for now, love is the answer.

 

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Healing Blindness in Today’s World

October 28th, 2012

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 31: 7-9, Heb 5: 1-6, Mark 10: 46-52

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

How strong is your faith?  Are you willing to give up everything to cure your blindness?  That’s what the blind man did in today’s Gospel- he gave up everything because he believed that Jesus could cure him of his blindness.

   

Now you might say, “We’ll, what did he really have to lose;  After all, he was desperate”?  But you see, he stood to lose his cloak; and a cloak, in first century Jerusalem, was a critical possession.  It was protection against the elements- like wide swings in temperature and winds; and it doubled as a blanket at night.  Because he was homeless, that cloak was Bartimaeus primary protection.  It may have even been his only possession.  It was unthinkable for him to drop it, and walk away because he might never be able to recover it.  Indeed, Bartimaeus stood to lose whatever stability he did have in the world if he lost that cloak.  He stood to lose everything.  But Bartimeaus did just that- dropped it and walked away from it!  That’s how deep his Faith was in the power of a man he couldn’t even see- all on faith, a promise of something literally and figuratively unseen.

   

Now the faith Bartimaeus had in Jesus was all word of mouth from others as well.  So, something they told Bartimaeus must have really moved him.  Perhaps it was because he could see with his heart what others did not see with their senses- that Jesus’ message was different, not like that of the Pharisees.  It was compelling; revolutionary; and gave real and lasting meaning to life; and so Bartimaeus decided to take the risk, stepping out of what little comfort zone he had.  Because of the Faith he had in Jesus, he was cured of his physical blindness, and then he followed after Jesus.

   

Now most of you don’t consider yourselves blind.  So what does this have to do with you?  Well, you know something; there are all kinds of blindnesses.  And I suspect that all of us could benefit by recognizing our blindnesses, and doing something about them.  Let me just talk about blindnesses that we might have.  

 

Some of us are blind to how our society is becoming more and more secular; how our values are slowly eroding away.  Maybe it’s because we are too busy working or caring for our families, or just trying to deal with life’s trials, like illnesses, our children’s events, sports, and social activities.  And so, we hear about things, but we really don’t see them in the proper context; and we don’t step out of our comfort zone to cure them.  Bans on school prayer, holiday trees rather than Christmas trees; the push for gay marriage rights; public funding of abortion; the HHS mandate forcing Churches and their institutions to cover immoral procedures and drugs- these are all evidence of eroding public morality.  Our Church teaches that acts like abortion and gay marriage are intrinsically evil, and must always be opposed by Catholics in good standing.   But some of us are passive, inactive, yes even blind to these things and their consequences.   

When we are blind to what God’s natural law is.  Then we are blind to the disastrous affects that changes in our values on marriage and life have on our society.  But they are leading society to acceptance of Euthanasia and alternate family styles that are contrary to God’s plan.  That kind of blindness does harm to the body of Christ.  To correct it, we need to realize our blindness and step out of our comfort zone to act.

   

Secondly, consider our situation compared to the third world.  We consume at an ever faster rate and dump unspeakable amounts of garbage and waste- like plastic bags that virtually never degrade which clog our oceans and water ways, killing birds and animals along the way.  Meanwhile a very large percentage of the World’s population lives in poverty.  Millions are starving; millions can’t read or write; millions have inadequate shelter.  And while we pride ourselves that slavery is gone; many human beings are tricked by unprincipled people into the slavery of human trafficking.  Yet these offshore poor and the victims of human trafficking are ought of sight; out of mind.  Yes, it’s another form of blindness. 

  

The blindnesses that I just mentioned have a common theme- they are all characterized by a form of self-centeredness  A sort of tunnel vision which keeps us from seeing the reality of the larger world- a larger world that we are all called to see and to respond to.  Most of us are in some kind of comfort zone, and don’t really want to step away from it to do something.   

Today, Jesus is calling all of us to do what Bartimaeus did- to throw off the protective cloak that keeps us in a safe haven; that protects us from things we would rather not see or deal with; and through Faith, resolve to open our hearts and minds to see these things as they really are so we can do something about them. 

  

It’s a tall order, and it is hard to see what we can do that would really make a difference or even how we can get started.  But, the very first step is actually very easy- it is prayer.  Ask Jesus the very same thing that Bartimaeus asked Him: “Master, I want to see”.  Because when you do that, Jesus will respond, as in the Gospel: “Go your way, your faith has saved you”.  And you have only to follow the urgings of the Lord in good faith, he can and will do the rest through you. 

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Evangelizing in the Year of Faith

October 25th, 2012

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Eph 3: 14-21: Luke 12: 49-53

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Something we should all keep in mind is that the Father has named all Families.  In other words, He acted as the Father of all the peoples in heaven and on earth; and in so doing, He named, that is, created not just the Americans, but the Chinese, the Arabs, the Europeans, the Indians, and everyone else.  They were all made by Him; somewhat differently, indeed; but He made them all what they are for his own glory and praise.  And for whatever reason, God has inspired His people in different ways to come to knowledge of Himself.  And so, there are different Religious traditions- Hindus, Buddhists, Confucists, Taoists, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and so on.  All of these traditions recognize the need for a higher purpose in life than life as we know it; and most of them recognize that there is an architect of life and creation- God.   But to you and I, God gave something really special.  He has given us a clearer, more direct vision of Himself and our destiny.  We have been given the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Gospel, the Resurrection, and the path to Eternal Life.  And that, compared to the other traditions, is special.

   

Now Pope Benedict has declared this year the year of Faith.  His reasons are multiple:  The secular world has drifted away from God; and the truth, which we hold, is not being spread to all peoples.  We have also fallen victim to the idea of live and let live.  We hold to an unhealthy, and I might even say, an ungodly extreme of living and let live called pluralism- one in which we look the other way to evil and the devil under the guise that everyone is entitled to their own belief and opinion.

   

And so, the time has come for us to return to our roots.  Our roots are based on Faith- Faith in Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Gospel, the Resurrection, and Life Everlasting; and the living of that Faith in such a way that others will see it in action.  Our living of Faith should be so compelling that, just as in the early days of Christianity, the secular world will see it and be impressed by it, even when we are persecuted.  Our living in Faith should be as zealous as that implied in today’s Gospel by Jesus.  Clearly, Jesus was brimming over with excitement to fulfill the will of God and His destiny.  Because He knew that He would rock the World with controversy, with truth and the message of everlasting life for all who believe.  Jesus was not passive, but passionate and active.  And that is what we are called to be as well- zealous, passionate and active for Christ.

   

How?  By lobbying for and voting for people who represent Christian values; by showing our Christian Faith in what we say and do even when it is politically incorrect; by patient and loving tolerance of others, but without compromising our values at the same time.  For example, we need to be thankful to God, not just some abstract feeling of thankfulness, at Thanksgiving.  And it is Christmas, not the Holidays, that is coming up on our calendars.

 

In short, it is time for us to be enthusiastic for the Lord in all we do and say so that the rest of the World comes to know the Jesus we know. 

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Dealing With Factions

September 30th, 2012

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Num 11: 25-29; James 5: 1-6: Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-49

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Factions!  We are plagued today by so much derisiveness and so many factions.  And that is unfortunate, because God wants us to be united as Christians; to be one as the Body of Christ.  In this country, the majority of us are Christians.  And yet, there are so many factions- Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals, Mormons, and on and on.  How should we deal with the messages brought by these factions? 

  

Today’s scriptures tell us a little about that:  First, those who are outside our mainstream can still be prophets.  Their message can still be valid.  That means the Catholic message can apply to Baptists; the Baptist message can apply to Catholics, and so on.  And second, anyone who speaks as a prophet had better get it right because the penalty for those who mislead the faithful is severe.  These two messages in today’s scripture can really help us with dealing with the factions in our lives; they can help us to become one in the Body of Christ.

   

In our first reading, Moses rebukes Joshua.  Joshua wants Moses to stop two of the elders that were not physically with them from prophesying.  Eldad and Medad were not there when the Lord gave His Spirit- yet some of the Lord’s Spirit fell on them too.  Moses reply is clear- if God’s Spirit is with them, let them speak.  Similarly, John approaches Jesus in the Gospel to ask him to stop someone who heard Jesus message and who was casting out demons in Jesus name even though he was not following Jesus.  Jesus’ remarks were similar to Moses’-  “Do not prevent him” and “Whoever is not against us is for us”.  Notice that in both readings, there are people who are not in the mainstream, that are acting in God’s behalf; and the message is clear.  Leave them alone; let them work in the Lord’s name.

   

Many times we become tied so closely to our group that we automatically reject the message of anyone outside of that group because they are not in our mainstream.  When we do that, we tend to form factions.  My experience here at Westminster Towers is an example of a great ecumenical attitude by the staff, an attitude that breaks down the walls caused by factions and encourages unity.  Although this facility is run by the Presbyterian Church,   They have fostered a very welcoming attitude towards their Catholic Residents, and have invited both me and other Catholics to come here and minister to you.  Not only that, they have invited me to speak many times at their Wednesday ecumenical service.   And those experiences tend to help us build on what we jointly believe as Christians.

   

However, Jesus goes on to issue a stern warning about those who preach and teach.  He does this right after he complements those who act in His name.  Specifically, Jesus says:  “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”  Wow!  What a contrast.  That warning applies as well today as it did in Jesus’ time.  For those who teach and preach must get it right.  Because when you preach and teach you are leading others down a path.  And you share the responsibility for how they respond to your message.  If you help them, as was symbolized by giving water to one who needed it, that is great.  But if you mislead people, you are corrupting them and sealing your own doom.

   

And so, what is important is the message, not the messenger.  That is the first criteria.  If the message is all about the messenger, not God, then there is a problem.  And second, the message must be solidly based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ- not personal interpretation, not human precepts, not selfish interests; but on the values handed on in the Gospels and traditions of the Church. 

And so, I ask all of you to help build the Body of Chris,.especially in this wonderfully ecumenical institution.  Build on what you share together- faith in Jesus Christ.  And avoid factions that separate us as Christians. 

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All Things Are Vanity

September 27th, 2012

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

St. Vincent de Paul

Eccl 1: 2-11; Luke 9: 7-9

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

So, “Nothing is new under the sun”.  And yet, our culture would like us to think otherwise.  Run out and get your new I-phone 5; or the new 3D TV technology; a new car with hybrid technology; or the latest in this year’s fashions.  We are getting close to the big shopping season when we will be told of all kinds of things new under the sun that we should run out and be the first to get.  But not according to our first reading.  So, which way is it?  

 

Well, it’s pretty clear the Bible, and not our society, has it right.  No matter how important any of the things of this life may seem to us, they are ultimately all passing away.  We can’t take them with us; and they don’t have any meaning where we all hope to go anyway. 

 

So what is the point of that first reading- to depress us?  I think not; rather, I think it is meant to uplift us.  Because these words from Ecclesiastes remind us that the world, and all the things that are of this world, whether they be fame, riches, power, possessions- whatever it may be of the world that captures our fancy- don’t make us happy.  Oh, they may fascinate us for a while, but eventually we get bored with them and ultimately they go away.  What remains is God and things of God.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit include Joy and Peace- these are the things that bring ultimate happiness.  And we have each other, because we form the body of Christ.  Lastly, we have the promise of everlasting life if we believe in God and His revelation to us; but we have to believe it enough to live our faith.  Those are the sources of happiness that lasts.

   

It isn’t so much that we should reject the things of the world but rather that we put them into the proper perspective.  They are gifts; we are stewards; and some of us have been more fortunate than others.  Consider that John the Baptist was very fortunate in the eyes of God.  He was, in Jesus’ own words, the greatest of men born of a woman, yett poor relative to the least in the Kingdom of God.  John lived a Spartan life; and did not hang on to the things of this world.  But He just did the will of God- acting as Jesus herald.  Look what happened to him in as told in today’s Gospel.  He was beheaded by the man of power.  Today, we honor John as saint; and can only hope that Herod repented of his way.  

 

Today is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul.  How appropriate that we be reminded today that the things of this world are passing.  Because if we can learn to share what we have rather than hoard it, we will have all learned the lesson of our first reading min a spirit of joy.  That all things are vanity, and there is nothing new under the sun.   

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Dealing With Reality, Not Appearances

September 20th, 2012

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 15: 1-11; Luke 7: 36-50

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Appearances can be deceiving- like in today’s Gospel.  First, there is the respected man of God- the Pharisee; and then there is the sinful woman.  Jesus praises the sinful woman, and pretty much blasts the respected man of God.  Why? Because of what is in their hearts and how that plays out in their lives.

   

The Pharisee is comfortable with himself and his position.  He has learned all the rules and is following them.  He thinks he has it made right where he is.  The sinful woman is not comfortable with herself.  She has broken all the rules and knows it.  She realizes something must be done.  Both have heard the message of Jesus.  The Pharisee is seeking validation by association.  It’s like he is saying:  “I will invite this man, the latest crave among the people, to my home; and by association with him, my perfect life will be validated.”  But the sinful woman wants only a chance to be forgiven.  She hears the message of Jesus, believes and repents.  She demonstrates her contrition and faithfulness with actions not words.  On the one hand, we have complacency, comfort and inaction.  On the other hand, we have faith, contrition, and growth.

   

St. Paul echoes the faith and humility of the sinful woman.  He persecuted the Church, and he realized his sin.  But by the grace of God- the grace of God- he saw the light, and became a believer.  And by the grace of God, he said “I am what I am”.  Yes indeed, Paul was the greatest of the evangelists to the Gentiles.  Similarly, by the grace of God- after hearing the message, repenting, and coming to believe, the sinful woman reaches out and does something.    Do we see this contrast today- this contrast between people like the Pharisee who have settled in on a way of life and the sinful woman who realizes that more is required of her?  Because Jesus message applies to us today as well.

 

God is always calling us to change, to conversion.  It is a life-long process.  Our growth as Christians isn’t over when we become confirmed and go out into the secular world to make a living; it doesn’t end when we have children; it doesn’t end when the children grow up; and it doesn’t end when we retire.  Our challenge to recognize our imperfections; repent; and trust in the will of God, to move out and do something that grows us as Christians, is always there till the day we die. 

  

Our humility and willingness to respond to God come from the heart.  They are not always visible from the image we portray.   Indeed, don’t let appearances be deceiving.   

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Following The Spirit, Not the Teacher

September 6th, 2012

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 3: 18-23; Luke 5: 1-11

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

A fish story!  We just heard a whopper of a fish story.  So, let me ask this:  What is the point of catching all those fish, and then just leaving them all on the beach?  After all, these men, Peter, James, and John depended on those fish for their livelihood. 

You see, the point is that this fish catch just so monumental that the fish simply don’t matter afterward.  These fisherman- Peter, James, and John, knew what they were doing.  They had years of experience, the wisdom of the world on fishing.  They fished when the tide was right, at the right time of the day, and in the right places- and nothing.  And then, this fellow comes along, and tells them some things about God from the boat, and after that, contrary to everything they know, that is, contrary to all their worldly and conventional wisdom, He tells them to put out their nets and fish.  And the catch is monumental, the best of their lives.  It’s like someone coming up to you at the lottery counter,   Whispering in your ears the numbers to play, and walla, you win the $50M jackpot!  It was a billion to one chance or better.  It just blew them all away, and so, they followed Him and forgot about the fish. 

  

After the Resurrection, Peter, Paul, and Apollos went through the countryside, and as Paul recounts to the Corinthians, each of them passed on a part of the wisdom of Jesus.  People were divided, not unified like that band of fisherman- divided because they were looking for the part of the message that matched their liking rather than the integrated message, the wisdom of God.  And God’s wisdom, like Jesus teaching was less directed at specific avenues of thought or action by individuals.  Rather, it was “trust in me, and the Spirit working in me, and just follow me; just follow my word”.  The Corinthians were putting their efforts into arguing about parts of the message, rather than living the message.  They weren’t letting the spirit of God carry them away like it did the Apostles. 

  

Now Paul goes on to say that whether it was Paul or Peter or Apollos, they all belong to you and to me.  Yes, God’s word and spirit was working through each of them.  And not only that, but the inspiration shared through these three great teachers belongs to all of us, just as we should belong to Christ- that is, follow His will for us; and just as Christ belonged to God, that is, followed God’s will for Him.  Paul is exhorting them to get with the teaching rather than argue about it, and let the spirit carry them away as God wills. 

  

Are we like the fisherman in the Gospel, or like the Corinthians?  God’s message is one of spirit and life.  We are supposed to grab onto life, and live it to the fullest in the ways that God prompts us.  Yes, we need to know about God and what is right and wrong.  But God prompts us to be unselfish, concerned for others, and supportive of each other- not just concerned for self.  When it’s about you, what you think, what you want, controlling your destiny, picking and choosing from what God tells you through his teachers to suit your agenda, then you’ve got it wrong, just like the Corinthians did. 

  

Indeed, when you get it right, you will echo the words of our psalmist this morning:  “Who may go up the mountain of the LORD?   Who can stand in his holy place?  The clean of hand and pure of heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely.  They will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from their saving God.  Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob.”   

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Doing Great Things Through Faith

August 26th, 2012

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Joshua 24: 1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Eph 5: 21-32; Jn 6: 60-69

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

We can do great things together!  If we believe, do God’s will, and stick together, than we really can.  But first, we have to have faith.  And faith means believing in things that we cannot prove.  It means accepting the mysteries of our faith like the Incarnation, the Eucharist, and God’s natural law.

   

Today’s Gospel is all about believing and faith.  Jesus has been telling His followers that He will give them his flesh and blood, the bread of life; and that all who eat His flesh and drink His blood will have eternal life.  Today we hear that many of His followers found that too hard to believe.  So, they turned their backs on Jesus, and left. 

  

Contrast that with the Joshua story.  After a long period of time as the successor to Moses, Joshua had led the people into the promised land; had defeated their enemies; and established the Israeli people on the land.  Joshua knew that they needed the Lord to survive, even if they were about to be prosperous.  Joshua was challenging them to renew their belief in the Lord and to follow His commandments.  The people of Joshua’s time might have regarded Joshua’s success as their own.  After all, they had defeated the Philistines and Amorites and all the rest.  It might have just been considered a human success story.  But Joshua and the Israeli people knew otherwise.  All the tribes were gathered together and asked to make a commitment to the Lord at Shechem.  They did; they reaffirmed their commitment to believe in the Lord; his power as the one and only God; and to follow His Commandments.   Even though they had not seen the miracles of the Exodus for themselves, they experienced it in their hearts, because their parents had handed the story on, and the faith.  They had not personally seen the plagues; the parting of the Red Sea; the manna in the desert and it’s power to save them; but they believed; they had real Faith; because the Exodus experience was made close to them by their parents, close enough that trust in their God was written into their hearts.  It was the Faith of their fathers.   

 

Why did so many of the followers of Jesus leave and not believe?  Notice that Jesus called his close disciples together and asked them if they were going to leave as well.  But they said they did believe.  They accepted Jesus on His word.  You see, these close disciples knew Jesus very intimately, and that was the difference.  They experienced Jesus and his personal piety daily; they saw all his miracles, and they heard all of His teaching; and so even though His teaching was hard, they trusted in the person, Jesus, who had written His law into their hearts.

 

The Eucharist is, and always will be, a mystery.  We believe it because we believe in Jesus, just like the Apostles believed in the person of Jesus.  Likewise, we must accept other mysteries of our faith.  It will be easier to do if our experience of God’s love is written on our hearts, like it was on the people of Joshua’s time and on Jesus close disciples.  That is the key to believing- knowing the Lord Jesus in our hearts.  

 

In today’s world, we find it very hard to accept things on faith that we cannot prove.  Secular society tells us to question everything- and that includes church authority, church teachings, and church traditions.  But God wants us to believe in His authority, His Gospel, and the Natural law that He gave us.  And believing in it means believing in mysteries of faith. 

  

One of the primary mysteries of our faith, in my opinion, is the family.  God created us in His image and likeness- and He created the family in His image and likeness as well.  Paul tells us what that means.  Wives need to defer to their husbands; husbands need to love their wives; the two become one; and the result is children, the primary purpose of marriage.  Paul is not talking about blind submissiveness and the world’s kind of love.  Rather, he is referring to a partnership that joins two people together in Christian love, with the Father leading the family.  And that model of marriage is important so that the Children learn what a Christian family is all about..They need to take that into their hearts and pass it on to their children.    Nowadays, the sanctity of this central mystery of our faith, Christian marriage, is under attack.  Easy divorce; alternate family life styles; gay marriage; abortion, contraception and sterilization for convenience- all of these are contrary to one of the mysteries of our faith.  The traditional Christian marriage; and they are contrary to God’s natural law.  And yet they are all fast becoming accepted as accepted norms in our secular society.  Our challenge today is to know the Lord in our hearts, so that we can preserve the most important values in our Christian society- belief in God, the value of life, and our primary role in society; and to enter into Christian marriages and bring up our children with our values.  Together, we can do it.  And we have an opportunity to do it together.   

 

In the last election 54% of all Catholics voted for the present administration.  For the last 4 years that administration has fought against religious liberty, the definition of marriage between a man and a woman, and the sanctity of life.  In this election, Catholics must preserve Christian values at all costs.  Or else we betray our faith.  The choice is yours. 

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